Putting Down Roots
Posted 03-22-2008 at 02:33 PM by honeybees
The spring weather in Northern Florida is beautiful. Being a native of Ohio and having lived in Delaware for the past 8 years, March feels more like June, compared to my internal barometer/thermometer. We bought a house 6 months ago and it's a cute cottage style (circa 1985) in a lovely & freindly neighborhood of many different styles from ranches to mansions on the Pensacola Bay. So, I've decided to "play up" the cottage style in my yard.
I began last week. There were several overgrown bushes and sagos directly in front of the white porch railing, which runs the entire length of the front. It was very crowded, unsightly and blocked the best feature of the house. I trimmed the huge sagos and a palm tree located in the front corner of the house between the porch and garage. I made perennial flower gardens on both sides. The house is brick with pale yellow siding in the front porch area. In the fall, I sanded and painted the shutters and front door a deep blue called "Daring Indigo." I love the challenge of finding as many blue and purple flowers as possible. I use this color as my base and mix bold little splashes of yellow, white pinks or reds. I'm nearly finished. I transplanted the large shrubs further out into the yard and will plant a few trees with them to create more privacy and visual interest. Most of the perennials I planted directly along the porch railing bloom all year long in this part of Florida, but will not grow above the railing, leaving architectural interest. The flowers will be beautiful as seen through the porch slats and it has a more open feel, but the larger plants further out into the yard give a nice barrier to the outside, framing the corners of the property line. All I need is a few more bags of mushroom compost and more mulch and I'm finished with this phase of the front garden. I will post photos when the plants grow up and bloom. I've been doing what I call "nomadic" gardening while living in air force base housing for the past 8 years. I made the most of my little space. It's wonderful to finally be able to put down roots, both literally and figuratively!
I began last week. There were several overgrown bushes and sagos directly in front of the white porch railing, which runs the entire length of the front. It was very crowded, unsightly and blocked the best feature of the house. I trimmed the huge sagos and a palm tree located in the front corner of the house between the porch and garage. I made perennial flower gardens on both sides. The house is brick with pale yellow siding in the front porch area. In the fall, I sanded and painted the shutters and front door a deep blue called "Daring Indigo." I love the challenge of finding as many blue and purple flowers as possible. I use this color as my base and mix bold little splashes of yellow, white pinks or reds. I'm nearly finished. I transplanted the large shrubs further out into the yard and will plant a few trees with them to create more privacy and visual interest. Most of the perennials I planted directly along the porch railing bloom all year long in this part of Florida, but will not grow above the railing, leaving architectural interest. The flowers will be beautiful as seen through the porch slats and it has a more open feel, but the larger plants further out into the yard give a nice barrier to the outside, framing the corners of the property line. All I need is a few more bags of mushroom compost and more mulch and I'm finished with this phase of the front garden. I will post photos when the plants grow up and bloom. I've been doing what I call "nomadic" gardening while living in air force base housing for the past 8 years. I made the most of my little space. It's wonderful to finally be able to put down roots, both literally and figuratively!
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Sounds great! Can't wait to see the photos.
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Recent Blog Entries by honeybees
- Putting Down Roots (03-22-2008)
- Putting Down Roots (03-22-2008)
